Bill > S0492

This bill makes several changes to Florida's estate and trust laws, including removing a provision that stated certain information about state death tax credits and generation-skipping transfer credits would not apply to estates of decedents dying after a specific date, thereby making that provision retroactive to January 1, 2013. It also clarifies exceptions for property held by agents and fiduciaries, establishes a presumption that property held by fiduciaries under trust instruments is unclaimed under certain conditions, and specifies that a person who files a petition for administration (a "caveator") does not need to be formally notified of their own petition. Additionally, the bill introduces new rules regarding gifts to lawyers and other "disqualified persons" (individuals who might unduly influence the gift, such as a lawyer who prepared the document or their relatives), making such gifts void unless the recipient is related to the person making the gift, with exceptions for fiduciary appointments and provisions for purchasers who acquire property in good faith. It also updates procedures for producing wills, clarifies definitions related to trusts, modifies rules regarding jurisdiction over trustees and beneficiaries, and adjusts how legal documents are served in trust matters. Finally, it makes technical amendments to various sections concerning trust accounting, director qualifications for certain associations, and definitions of beneficiaries and devisees.